This invention relates to an adaptable telephone base plate for alternative wall or desk top mounting, and is particularly concerned with provision for use of a normal line cord for desk-top mounting and an adaptor line cord for wall mounting, with modular plug and jack installations.
It is becoming more and more general to have modular plug and jack telephone installations with the line cord being inserted at one end, into a jack on the wall, or outlet on the floor in business premises, the other end of the line cord being inserted into a jack in the telephone set base assembly. For wall mounting it can be arranged that the telephone be directly connected to a jack on the wall. However, two forms of base plate are usually provided. With the present invention one form of baseplate permits a normal desk-top mounting with a normal line cord plugging into a jack in the baseplate; wall mounting using a line cord which has a plug at one end to insert into an outlet jack and with the telephone set end of the cord wired directly to terminals in the base assembly-referred to as semi-molular; and wall mounting with a wall jack and a short cord extending in the base from a plug in the wall jack to another plug which inserts into the jack in the baseplate which is common also to the desk-top mounting line cord.
A further feature of the present invention is the provision of a particular form of keyhole mounting apertures for wall mounting. The apertures are provided with cantilevered resilient members which have a snap-action over studs attached to a wall plate.
In modification of the baseplate, provision can be made for the housing of a battery for battery powered operation of certain items which may be provided in some telephone sets. A same basic die can be used with two alternative inserts to provide for alternative forms, with and without battery housing. Other features remain the same.